“The saints do not come from a “parallel world”, they germinate from concrete life”, notes Pope Francis

Dear brothers and sisters, hello !

I am happy to meet you at the end of the colloquium on “holiness today” organized by the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.

I greet and thank Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, the other superiors, the officials, the postulators and all the collaborators. I greet you all, you who come from different parts of the world and who have taken part in these days of study and reflection, enriched by the contribution of quality speakers, actors from the theological, scientific, cultural and media.

The theme chosen by the conference is in harmony with the Apostolic Exhortation Gaudete and exultate(1) which aims to “make the call to holiness resound once again, trying to insert it into the current context, with its risks, challenges and opportunities” (2). Such a call is at the heart of the Second Vatican Council, which dedicated an entire chapter of Lumen gentium to the universal vocation to holiness and which affirms “all those who believe in Christ, whatever their condition and their state of life, are called by God, each in his way, to a holiness whose perfection is that of the Father himself. (no. 11).

Even today it is important to discover holiness in the midst of the holy people of God: in the parents who bring up their children, in the men and women who carry out their daily work with dedication, in the people who endure a situation of infirmity, in old people who continue to smile and offer wisdom. The testimony of virtuous Christian conduct, lived today by so many of the Lord’s disciples, is an invitation for all of us to respond personally to the call to be saints. They are “next door” saints, whom we all know.

Beside, or better, in the middle of this multitude of believers that I have defined by “the saints of the next door” (3) there are those whom the Church presents as models, intercessors and teachers. These are the beatified and canonized saints, who remind everyone that living the Gospel to the full is possible and beautiful. Holiness, in fact, is not a program of effort and renunciation, it does not consist of “spiritual gymnastics”, no, it is something else: it is above all the experience of being loved by God. , to freely receive his love, his mercy: this divine gift opens us to recognition and allows us to experience a great joy, which is not the emotion of a moment or a simple human optimism, but the certainty of being able to face everything with the grace and audacity that come from God.

Without this joy, faith is reduced to an oppressive and sad exercise; but you don’t become a saint by sulking. It takes a heart that is joyful and open to hope. The new Blessed John Paul Iergives us the example of this holiness full of good humor. Likewise, Blessed Carlo Acutis is a model of Christian joy for children and young people. And the “perfect joy” of Saint Francis of Assisi always edifies us by its Gospel paradox.

Holiness germinates in the concrete life of Christian communities. Saints do not come from a “parallel world”. They are believers who belong to the faithful people of God and are included in daily life which is made up of family, study, work, social, economic and political life. In all these situations, the saint walks and works without fear or fear of exclusion, fulfilling in each circumstance the will of God. It is important that each particular Church be attentive to collecting and valuing the examples of Christian life which have matured within the people of God, who have always had a particular “flair” for recognizing these models of holiness, extraordinary witnesses of the Gospel. It is therefore necessary to keep in due consideration the consent of the people around these Christianly exemplary figures. The faithful, in fact, are endowed by divine grace with an undeniable spiritual perception to identify and recognize in the concrete existence of certain baptized persons the heroic exercise of Christian virtues. The fama sanctitatis does not come primarily from the hierarchy but from the faithful. It is the people of God, in its various components, which is the protagonist of the fama sanctitatisthat is to say of the common and widespread opinion among the faithful concerning the integrity of life of a person, perceived as a witness of Christ and of the Gospel beatitudes.

However, it is necessary to verify that such a reputation for holiness is spontaneous, stable, lasting and widespread within an important part of the Christian community. It is, indeed, authentic when it resists the changes of time, the fashions of the moment, and always engenders salutary effects for all, as we can see in popular piety.

Nowadays correct access to the means of communication can promote knowledge of the Gospel experience of a candidate for beatification or canonization. However, in the use of digital media, especially social networks, there may be the risk of exaggerations and mystifications dictated by less than noble interests. Wise and shrewd discernment is therefore required on the part of all who are concerned with the quality of the reputation for holiness. Moreover, an element which proves the fama sanctitatis or the fama martirii is still there fama signorum. When the faithful are convinced of the holiness of a Christian, they appeal – even en masse and with passion – to his heavenly intercession. The answer to prayer from God represents a confirmation of such conviction.

Dear brothers and sisters, the saints are precious pearls. They are always alive and current, they never lose their value, because they represent a fascinating commentary on the Gospel. Their life is like an image catechism, the illustration of the Good News that Jesus brought to humanity: that God is our Father and he loves us all with immense love and infinite tenderness. Saint Bernard said that, thinking of the saints, he felt himself burning with “great desires” (4). May their example enlighten the minds of the women and men of our time, reviving faith, animating hope and kindling charity, so that everyone feels drawn to the beauty of the Gospel and no one is lost. in the fog of nonsense and despair.

I do not want to end without mentioning a dimension of holiness to which I devoted a small chapter in Gaudete and exultate : the sense of humor. Someone once said, “A sad saint is a sad saint.” Knowing how to enjoy life with a sense of humor, because taking the side of life that makes you laugh lightens the soul. And there is a prayer that I recommend you to say – I pray it every day for more than 40 years – the prayer of Saint Thomas More: it is curious, he asks something for holiness but he begins by saying: “Lord, give me good digestion and something to digest.” It goes to the concrete, the humor starts from there. The prayer is in note 101(5) of Gaudete and exultatethe prayer is there, so that you can pray it.

I hope that the insights and suggestions of your colloquium will be able to help the Church and society to gather the signs of holiness that the Lord never ceases to inspire, sometimes even in the most unexpected ways. Thank you for your work! I entrust him to the maternal intercession of Mary, Queen of all saints, and I bless you with all my heart. And finally, Cardinal Semeraro has already asked you to pray for me; so I’m not telling you, he said it. Thanks.

French version of the Press Room of the Holy See. Title and note (5) ofThe DC

. (1) Pope Francis, Apostolic Exhortation Gaudete and exultate on the call to holiness in today’s world, March 19, 2018; DC

2018, no. 2531, p. 5-39. (2) Ibid.,

not. 2; p. 6. (3) Ibid.,

not. 7; p. 6-7. (4) Saint Bernard, Disc. 2;Opera omnia Cisterc. 5

364 seq. (5) I recommend saying the prayer attributed to Saint Thomas More: “Give me good digestion, Lord, and also something to digest. Give me the health of the body with the sense of keeping it at its best. Give me a holy soul, Lord, whose eyes are on beauty and purity, so that it is not terrified when it sees sin, but knows how to put things right. Give me a soul that ignores boredom, moaning and sighing. Don’t let me worry too much about this cumbersome thing I call ‘me’. Lord, give me humor so that I can derive some happiness from this life and share it with others. So be it » Note 101 found in chapter four of the Apostolic ExhortationGaudete and exultate . DC

2018, no. 2531, p. 29 (bottom of page).

“The saints do not come from a “parallel world”, they germinate from concrete life”, notes Pope Francis